


Beyond Your Mask

by evilseok



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Secret Identity, haechan is a supervillain, kind of, mark is spiderman, spidermark, villain!haechan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:55:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27238393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilseok/pseuds/evilseok
Summary: Mark gets more than he bargained for when a mysterious masked villain clad in black comes to town, and he’s unsure about what he wants.Meanwhile, the new student named Donghyuck seems kinda distant. Mark wonders if he can maybe try and get close to him.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 5
Kudos: 63





	1. the start of it all

**Author's Note:**

> I really just had to. A spidermark fic is something I live for, but villain!hyuck? I barely see it. The chapter’s kinda lame but please do let me know what you think!

The car comes to a stop and Donghyuck can already feel the bitterness grow at the back of his throat. SM High School was written in blue font against the white bricked school, and the students were slowly multiplying as they approached its entrance. The windows of the building were pristine and clear, and the campus seemed to stretch out twice as big as a normal high school. He took a moment to stare at each student, each kid who were the same age or close to his, pondering on who they were and what they did, what their goals were and what they liked, if they struggled or if they lived freely, if they were anything like the life Donghyuck assumed most people had.

A snap in the front of his face brings him back to reality. "Hey."

Annoyance bubbled in the pit of his stomach as he turned and glared at the man who sat in front of him, the man in his dark suit and roughed up face who carried the same unfriendly demeanor Donghyuck was wearing himself. The man had quite an ugly gash across his chin that had distracted Donghyuck the first time we saw the man, opting to start referring to him as Slasher in his head.

"Careful kid." Slasher said with a scowl. "I think we know what a slip up is gonna cost you in this situation."

The boy didn't respond immediately, turning his head back to stare out the window to where more students were arriving to the school.

"We wouldn't want anything to happen if he were to find out you're not following ord-"

"I got it." Donghyuck snapped, his voice sharp as it cut through the older man's with distinction. "I'm not an idiot."

Slasher seemed to have found this funny, a chuckle sounding from the back of his throat. "No, I guess you're not."

He folded his arms, his amused expression melting away as soon as it came. "Do you have your key?"

Donghyuck nodded, and Slasher scoffed. "Be grateful he's being so lenient on you. For whatever reason, he's being kinder to you then most. I suggest not fucking it up, for your sake of course."

Donghyuck bit back a retort, not wanting to waste his breath or energy on the man's obvious bait. "Be rest assured, I plan on following through."

He glanced back at Slasher. "Can I go now? It'll be an issue if I'm late on the first day."

The man narrowed his eyes at the boy, watching him carefully for whatever reason Donghyuck can possibly think of before he nods. "Go. But remember,"

Slasher opened his palm and faced it towards the boy, a tattoo of an eye at its center as of stared straight at Donghyuck. "We're always watching, kid."

Donghyuck could feel his nails dig into the skin of his palm with his clenched fist. He nodded. "I know."

With that, he stepped out of the vehicle and slammed the door behind him, the sleek black car driving off almost immediately as if it had vanished in a moment of mere seconds.

His backpack was strapped around one shoulder as the other was left hanging. He adjusted his sweater and ran his hand through the ruffled brown locks of his hair as he stared into SM High's entrance. The debrief on his mission was simple: blend in, report to your tasks when called, and don't fuck shit up. The last part was a strong warning of what it all meant for Donghyuck if he were to fail, and with that in mind, the boy knew he had no space for slip ups. His fingers ghosted over the flesh of his neck, where the faded mark on his skin had remained as a reminder.

As he stepped into the campus, observed the students closer, noticed their features and expressions, watched how they moved and how they each spoke to each other, eyes darting or faces scrunching, smiling, grimacing, and laughing; they were all things Donghyuck saw. At the center of the campus was a table where a few teachers were passing out schedules, and as he approached, a pretty, young teacher with brown hair tied into a bun and a bright, bright smile on her face, turned to him.

"Hello! May I have your name?" Her voice sounded overly sweet to the boy, not in a way where she seemed to purposely be doing so, but it was the kind where it was as if it had always been as such, light, gentle, sweet, kind.

"Lee Donghyuck." He responded.

The woman nodded, looking through a file of names that were listed in alphabetical order as her brows furrowed in concentration. A few moments later is all it takes before a smile reappears on her face as she hands him is schedule. "It looks like I have you for my sixth period! I can't wait to see you then!" 

Donghyuck nodded, mumbling a small thank you before walking off towards the building. His eyes wandered down to where sixth period was listed.

_Kim Taeyeon, Music._

_A music teacher_ he mused. Somehow, it felt fitting. Donghyuck had no interest in partaking in the class however, so he supposed he'll have to find a way out of it, it was of no importance to him.

What was important however, was initiating the first part of his mission. The image of a face flashed in his mind. It was the face that he had seen a million times, both on screen and by the photos given to him by the Circle when he was first told of what he was to do. The son of a multi-billion dollar tech company specialized in weapons and other tests that haven't been shown to the public, who happens to go to one of the most elite schools that only the most brightest of talented can get into, and on top of all that, is the captain of the school's notorious soccer team.

With such a stellar profile, Donghyuck knew the boy wouldn't be hard to find, after all, Wong Yukhei was someone born to stand out.

One last glance at his schedule, Donghyuck tucked the piece of paper into his back pocket and walked up the stairs to the school. The coming months were going to be a troubling time.

  
  


* * *

Mark wondered how believable it'd sound if he told Mr. Lee that he had accidentally dropped his homework from the Lotte World Tower. The probability was next to nothing, but in Mark's defense, he hadn't planned to go on a police chase before the first day of school started, barely giving himself anytime to even think about it before he pulled on his mask and swung away. In the end though since he did catch the robbers, he guessed it was a fair enough sacrifice, even if it did mean getting toasted by Mr. Lee.

Yet again the city was not letting Mark have a moment to spare when a petty robbery on 8th Avenue had to make him take a short detour, to which it leads to where he is now, swinging his webs across the city with a fire under his ass to get to school on time. He knows that if he gets one more tardy for first period, his aunt was going to ground his for life, and you can't be the friendly neighborhood Spiderman if you're stuck in your room forever, right?

He shuddered at the thought, and the familiar ringtone signaling Jeno's calling makes him groan, pulling out his phone and pressing it to his ear. "Not really a good time right now Jen."

"Why does it sound so wind- Jesus, are you swinging over here?" He could t quite hear the boy's voice over all the air and city noise that floated around him, but Mark could make out enough. "Let's just say I had some business to handle before heading over."

"You're lucky me and Nana got your schedule beforehand." Jeno said with a sigh. "Anyway, you're in first period AP Bio with all three of us, so I suggest you hurry up because we're not waiting.

"Lucas too then?" Mark effortlessly swung down into an alley a block from where the school was, hiding himself behind a dumpster as he begun to change clothes as quick as possible.

"Yeah, basically it's our same class from Chemistry last year, oh, but it looks like we got a new kid too."

Eventually Mark was fully dressed and his suit was not so carefully stuffed into one of the zippers of his bag. His hair was still ruffled from the wind and his tshirt was somewhat wrinkled. Overall, he still looked like some kind of mess, though at this point, that was really just Mark. Checking one last time that he didn't put his shoes on the wrong feet (as time had it happen before) he made a mad dash towards the school with Jeno still on the line when suddenly he could hear the bell ring, and a sense of dread washed over him.

"Jeno, how mad do you think Mr. Lee's gonna be if I'm a couple minutes late?"

* * *

Stumbling into first period had a little less grace than Mark would've liked to admit, his appearance looking like he had just crawled out of bed rather than having webbed his way across the city hundreds of feet above the air. A small chorus of giggles from his classmates made his cheeks tinge in color as Mr. Lee glanced at him.

"I see old habits are still hard to break, Mark."

"Sorry sir..." Mark mumbled, his eyes falling upon Jeno and Jaemin, beckoning him over to their table. Right from where he's supposed to sit he sees Lucas at the seat in front of him, a wide grin and a wave from him as Mark returns the gesture.

When Mark finally retreated to his seat and Mr. Lee returned to his class introductions, Jaemin nudged the boy. "Honestly Mark, on the first day? Was it really that serious?" He whispered. "Could you not have just let the police handle it?"

"I couldn't, not when I was so close by and I knew it'd be easier for everyone if I handled it quicker."He mumbled.

"Well then did you at least finish the summer homework?" Jeno asked, leaning forward to look at Mark. "He's collecting it today."

Mark groaned internally, setting his head down on the cold science table that was probably full of leftover chemicals, but he couldn't care less. Perhaps if he were lucky enough he'll get an extreme reaction from one and pass out right there and then. He felt a hand that was big enough to only be Lucas's pat his head gently. He looked up and saw the boy give him a smile, mouthing 'it's okay, man' before turning back to the front.

Out of his three friends, Mark had known Lucas the longest, the two having met at a young age since their parents were good friends. Over the past few years while they still remained close, Lucas had quickly grew into his own clique, whereas Mark just followed the stream, finding Jeno and Jaemin along the way. Those two were the only ones who knew of Mark's identity, about Spiderman, which automatically made them the closest friends in Mark's book.

It was really an accident, he hadn't known Jeno had stopped by his house and waited in his room the day he called out sick for class because the Vulture was wreaking havoc over in Queens. To say that Jeno's expression when he saw spiderman crawl through his friends the window was priceless, was an understatement. Mark was throughly surprised however how well Jeno seemed to have taken it, even having the audacity to claim that he always knew something was up.

"This explains why you're always sore and bruised up all over your body! And how you're always conveniently missing whenever a villain is on the loose!"

"Wow Jen, if it were that obvious than maybe you should've said something sooner." Mark replied sourly, though with no malice. In the end of it all Mark knew he could trust Jeno, so he had the boy swear not to tell a single soul, and he did.

That level of trust had shriveled an inch a day later when Jaemin wrapped his arm his shoulders, a wide grin on his face as he asked if Mark shot webs out of his butt like regular spiders.

"I thought it was implied that if I knew, Nana should too." Jeno said with a shrug when we saw Mark's wide eyes and mouth barely able to get out his words. "Yeah Mark." Jaemin said with a sly smirk on his lips, sliding his arms around Jeno's waist. "Me and Jeno here are a set."

Mark should've been more annoyed, but in reality, he couldn't help but feel some sort of relief because of it. Having your secret identity remain secret was basically rule number one in the superhero handbook, but holding such a big secret was suffocating and tiring, it left him quite anxious just going about day to day life while also going around as spiderman. Although it was all unplanned, Mark was glad to have Jaemin and Jeno there to lift a piece of his burden off his back.

Thankfully Mr. Lee was opting not to teach any material today as it was the first day, but as he did every year despite majority of the class already knowing each other and how his procedures work, he went over the syllabus once again. Mark couldn't find it in himself to focus on it, having read the very one hundreds of times last year when he had to make copies for all of Mr. Lee's paperwork. Instead he stared off, eyes wandering around the room at all his classmates, all of which were familiar faces, except for one.

He sat in the back corner table of the classroom right next to the window. His hair was brown and a bit curly, ruffled up in a way that made him look slightly younger than Mark despite being the same age. He had on a plain red sweater and grey, ripped skinny jeans. He too didn't seem all that interested in Mr. Lee's syllabus as he stared off out the window, hand underneath his chin without any care for anything else.

_Ah_ , Mark thought. _He must be the new kid._

As if on cue, Mr. Lee looked up from the syllabus and over to where the new boy sat. "Now that that's out of the way, let us give a warm welcome to our new student."

For a moment Mark worried that the boy may be too far gone to notice he was being called on, but upon hearing Mr. Lee's words he stood up as if he were listening the entire time. Mark took note on how the boy's eyes briefly scanned over the class, it lasted only a second but he noticed it within the time their eyes met in that millisecond.

"I'm Lee Donghyuck." He said, his voice void of any emotion Mark was able to decipher. "Nice to meet you all."

Despite his tone, his voice was rather sweet sounding to Mark's ears. It reminded him of milk with honey and falling asleep on a summer afternoon, warm and glowing skin underneath the setting sun. How his cheeks seemed puffed despite his distant demeanor, and how his eye shape was so endearing and soft while his gaze was cold and bleak, were all the little bits Mark saw, and he was intrigued.

"...Perhaps instead of daydreaming, Mark here can read aloud the book list you'll be required to buy by the end of the week for this class."

Mark's eyes widened comically as he sat up straight almost immediately, snickering filling the class once again as he felt his cheeks flush red. Mr. Lee cocked his eyebrow in bemusement. "Can we bother you of your free time to read out the list, Mark Lee?"

"Oh- yeah sure!" He grabbed the paper and stood up abruptly, reading out the list of books and other items required for the class. Mark couldn't quite help himself from stealing a few glances back at the boy, Donghyuck from what he knew now, to gauge his reaction.

Yet it was as if nothing had happened, and Donghyuck was back to staring out the window, a sense of melancholy seeping from where he sat.

The remainder of class was mostly Jeno and Jaemin stealing glances at Mark and nudging his shoulder, asking what was going on with him until the bell rung and the class was dismissed.

"I expect your summer homework on my desk by tomorrow, Mark." Mr. Lee called out from his desk.

"Yes sir." He replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Despite his toughness Mr. Lee did in fact like Mark, he was still one of his best students despite Mark's tendencies to be...'scattered' in Mr. Lee's words.

He turned around to look over to the back table, but he saw that Donghyuck had already left. Before he could even ponder on how the boy had managed to leave so quickly without him noticing, he felt two pairs of arms drag him out of the classroom and out into the hallway.

"What were you dozing off for?" Jeno asked, brows furrowed. "I've never seen you actually get distracted in class like that."

"Oh." Mark felt heat creep up his neck. "I...guess after this morning I couldn't really think straight. The adrenaline, you know?"

"Well you certainly weren't thinking _straight_." Jaemin sang, that wide, cheshire grin stuck to his face. "You were goggling at the new boy."

It took a moment for the words to process in Jeno's mind before a loud, exaggerated gasp left his lips, his hand covering his mouth as he stared at Mark. "You _were_!"

"What??" Mark could only imagine how silly he looked, eyes widened so wide they looked like they'd pop, and skin so pink anybody would think he'd gotten sick. "N-No! I wasn't! I was just curious is all! He's the only one in class we don't know!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Markie." Jaemin said with a wink, earning a range of profanities being flung at the boy in Mark's mind.

"I swear it didn't mean anything! Why do you guys always have to make things so weird for me!"

Jeno glanced at Jaemin. "Should we tell him that he makes things weird all by himself?"

"I'm literally standing right here!"

The three continued to bicker while Mark walked behind them to their next class, whining under his breath that he needs new friends as the pair continued to tease him.

Despite all that however, for Mark, one thing was for sure. He was curious about Lee Donghyuck, the melancholy boy that sat in the back of the class with eyes so deep and dull it's hard to read.

Mark wondered what his story was, and if he’d ever find out.


	2. a warm welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark swears he’s just trying to be nice, and Donghyuck makes a new friend.

Donghyuck wasn't sure if it was pure luck or something planned by the Circle that got him into a class with the Wong Yukhei, but either way, it made his job much easier to commence. The moment class was finished he slipped through the door and down the hall to his next class, keeping sight of the billionaire's son when they stepped into the same classroom. Whatever the situation was, it earned him a spot in the boy's second, third, and fourth period. Truth be told Donghyuck hadn't completely figured out how he we was to approach Yukhei, the Circle weren't exactly any help in figuring it out other than telling him to just do it, so for the time being, he would just have to wait for an opportunity to arise.

A conversation he had with Ten couldn't help but arise to the front of his memory.

_"Teenage boys no matter what their backgrounds are, are still teenage boys." Ten had said, falling back onto the bed in Donghyuck's small room._

_"That doesn't mean anything if I can't get close to him to begin with." The younger boy deadpanned. "Someone of his status wouldn't be so keen to open up about the things he knows to just anyone."_

_Ten chuckled at that, giving Donghyuck a knowing look. "You say that as if you'd need permission."_

_The boy felt his jaw clenched, glaring at the older man. "You know that's not how it works."_

_Ten shrugged, turning over on his stomach with his hand placed under his chin, a playful glint in his eye. "Maybe, or maybe you're just not demanding enough."_

_Not wanting to have anything more to do with the conversation Donghyuck stood up and was ready to leave, to hell with any of the guards if he got punished for it. Ten however grabbed hold of his wrist pulling him back to sit on the bed with him._

_Ten sighed. "All I'm saying is if that isn't an option, you can always try other ways to be persuasive." He gave Donghyuck a suggestive wink. "There's more than one way to mess with a guy's head."_

_"You're disgusting, Ten."_

It wasn't so much as a far fetched idea as it was more an idea Donghyuck refused to partake in, at least not with the same confidence and experience Ten had. He would admit though that it was a trait of the man's that Donghyuck respected: Ten was sly, cool and seductive,smart in the ways he used his charms. He knew how to persuade anyone and anything without any thought or hesitation. On top of that he was agile, so much so that Donghyuck envied his abilities. Although he knew his own agility was far from being subpar, he knew for certain that he wasn't quite on the same level as Ten. What Donghyuck did know though, was that he was much more tactful, much quicker on his feet and more efficient in his combat skills. He knew how to hide in the shadows and to disappear within the blink of an eye. Most of all, he knew how to get exactly what he wanted. It was quite easy majority of the time, but he wasn't perfect. There were certain things that he couldn't obtain without putting in a lot more effort into the mix.

Which was where he was at now, sitting at the back of fourth period calculus while eyeing Wong Yukhei. He stared intensely at the back of the boy's head as thoughts began to wind themselves in and out of his mind like a processor, figuring out the best course of action to engage the situation. Donghyuck had time, he knew that, but how much was entirely up to The Circle, and whatever they wanted he had to follow. The class ended rather swiftly with no complaints as each period seemed to grow shorter and shorter and Donghyuck found little ability to feel any sort of need for engagement towards any of the soft attempts of teachers trying to joke around with the students and the reading off of syllabuses that were all copy and pastes of the last three periods he had.

As the students begin to file away through the doors of the class Donghyuck is able to catch a bit of a conversation between Yukhei and three friends as they trail through in front of him.

"We're all fifth period lunch, right? Let's haul ass to the cafeteria before all the chocolate milk is gone."

"Sungmin, you're the only person in this whole school I know who likes school milk." Yukhei said with a frown, the trio laughing as they walked out. Pulling out the now rumpled piece of paper within his pocket, Donghyuck stared down at the schedule and saw it too. Fifth period lunch.

What are the odds he thought.

Donghyuck stepped out into the hallway, packed with students rushing to their classes or to lunch while the boy stepped at a steady pace without any rush. Lunch was the socialization period of school, and thus it was the perfect opportunity to introduce himself and start forming a relationship with the trust fund kid. How exactly Donghyuck was to approach him without getting turned down or shut out by Yukhei himself, he still hadn't quite decided yet. Should he even start today? First day introductions were meaningless and almost unforgettable, especially to people like Yukhei. He wouldn't think much of Donghyuck if he were to approach their table. and just like that forming any necessary bond with Yukhei would only be more difficult for the future.

So for now, he decided, he'll just observe. Observe what he likes, what he does, behavioral patterns, interests, dislikes, and of course those close to him so he can mimic their natural behaviors around one another.

"There's more than one way to mess with a guy's head."

Ten's words rung clear in Donghyuck's mind, and the boy scowled at the memory.

Certainly not.

* * *

Jaemin was currently burying his face into Jeno's shoulder as he groaned about their literature class, Mark a few steps ahead as they make their way to the cafeteria. "Would it be bad if I just drop Mrs. Park's class all together? A nine hundred page is book is not on my list of plans I have for the weekends this year."

"You're gonna need the language credit anyway, Nana." Jeno informs him. "Besides, if you do then there's a bigger chance you'll end up with Ms. Kang instead. Does Mrs. Park really sound all that bad in comparison to her?"

Jaemin shuddered, lifting his head from Jeno's shoulder, carrying his weight with a slump. "I don't think I have ever once seen that woman smile even once."

"She's an AP Literature teacher." Mark deadpanned once they entered though the swinging doors of the cafeteria. "Your sense of humor dies with the position."

"Which is why I am never gonna be a high school teacher." Nana concluded. They stepped into the line that was slowly beginning to form as more students entered the lunch room. "Why would you choose to make yourself miserable."

Mark chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "Someone has to do it, I guess."

Jaemin smiled devilishly. "Yeah, I would guess you would know all about that."

Mark swatted the boy's shoulder at that was the end of that conversation when Jeno started talking about a new skin he got on League, a game Nana and him played often but Mark never found time to get into. ("I'll find time eventually" he'd tell them. They never believed him) Really, Really, the only thing Mark hoped for this year was to keep himself on top of his grades and maybe, just maybe, tryout for the basketball team if he really wants to dream about it. He knew that it was unlikely considering that as of recently the amount of crimes going around the city had increased fivefold since the summer, and just staying on top of all his schoolwork was starting to become a challenge. He heaved a sigh, a weight falling off his shoulders as he allowed himself to slouch over. Fatigue was slowly creeping over him just by the thought of all the challenges he'll have to face this school year. Junior year was gonna be the most demanding than any other year. A chorus of laughter reached his ears and he looked over to see Lucas and two of his friends, Sungmin and Jihoon,joking about something a bit further up the line. Mark payed close attention to all the students around him, all his peers and close acquaintances as they chattered and smiled. His eyes wandered to Jaemin and Jeno, the pair smiling at something on Jeno's phone with Jaemin whispering something to the latter, pink dusting the tips of Jeno's ears. Mark smiled. For everyone else's sake, he'd gladly keep carrying the responsibility he designated upon himself as the city's protector.

But his eyes then fall upon a familiar figure. A bundle of brown hair and a small frame tucked in a red oversized hoodie. He stood a little further up the line from where Mark was and his back was facing him, but Mark could recognize him; Donghyuck stood out like a sore thumb. Mark wasn't necessarily an extrovert like Jaemin nor was he the quiet type like Jeno, but there was something about Donghyuck that made him want to approach the boy. Maybe it was because new, unfamiliar. At SM High everyone knew everyone in some sort of way, having almost all grown up in the same schools. New students when they were already so well acquainted with each other was rare. Maybe it was just that insatiable sense of curiosity that Mark always had, maybe it was sympathy towards a kid who needed help adjusting or just a friend, either way, Lee Donghyuck had somehow piqued Mark's attention.

"Jeez Mark, just talk to him instead of giving him puppy dog eyes." Mark snaps up from his daze and turns to Jaemin wide eyed. "I was not!"

"God, only day one into junior year and you're already pining over the new kid." Jaemin said with fake disgust before opting Mark a wink. "He _is_ cute though, so I get it."

Jeno seems to nod in agreement, following Mark's gaze to Donghyuck. "He is. He seems kinda cold though, doesn't he?"

"He's probably just nervous, it doesn't look like he knows anyone here." Mark says, watching as Donghyuck steps to the counter and the lunch ladies start to pile on his food.

"Should we invite him over to sit with us then?" Mark turned his head so fast he nearly had whiplash only to see Jaemin grinning widely. "You want me to talk to him for you?"

"It's not- I don't-"

Mark continues to sputter as the pair laugh at his expense, he could already hear all the teasing he'll have to bear through for the rest of the week.

* * *

"You'd think that with all the money that's invested into this school they would have some decent milk." Jaemin said with a souring expression as the three sat at their usual table from last year. "It tastes like ass."

Jeno stared at the carton in Jaemin's hand and cocked his eyebrow. "It's strawberry milk. You hate strawberry milk. Why the hell would you get it?"

"There's nothing else to eat this dry as fuck sandwich with." He groaned. "What do you want me to do, choke?"

"Preferably yes, right now." Mark shot back, earning a fry to the face by the honor of Jaemin. "Just for that you're buying us pizza today."

Before Mark could open his mouth and form a retort his gaze his pulled back when he sees Donghyuck walk over to an empty table on the other side of the lunch room. Jaemin turned to follow his line of sight before sighing. "Dude, literally go talk to him. You obviously want to."

"I just don't want him to be alone." Mark admits all too suddenly. "It must be hard for him, eating alone on the first day sucks."

"You know," Jeno starts, in between chews. "Maybe he just wants to be left alone. Not everyone is comfortable being social all out of the blue."

"Nonsense! Being alone all school year is what sucks, you gotta make an effort to include the quiet ones in order to avoid that. Obviously it's just that no one has made any effort to approach him." Jaemin said, patting Jeno on the back. "You're lucky I was the one to approach you."

Mark rolled his eyes as his two friends began to playfully flirt with each other. Maybe he should take Jaemin's advice and just ask Donghyuck if he wants to sit with them, the worst that could happen is that he'd just say no. Even so, the thought of possibly bothering the boy weighed on his mind. Mark groaned internally. He could jump off a building five thousand feet in the air and fight a bunch of super powered villains one on one, but he couldn't talk to a boy on the other side of the room.

"Look, do you want me to do it? So I don't have to watch you pine from afar?"

"I'm not _pining_. I'm just awkward."

"Same thing. Anyway, I'm gonna go ask him. Thank me later." Jaemin stepped up and turned his body towards the direction of where Donghyuck sat, but stopped abruptly in his tracks. "Looks like that won't be necessary anymore. Pretty boy Huang Renjun just got him."

Jeno's brows furrowed. "Renjun? Renjun as in the one who left to Beijing second semester last year?"

"The same one." Jaemin said. "Didn't think he'd be back."

Sure enough, Mark looked up and saw that Huang Renjun was standing in front of Donghyuck, his back facing Mark so he was unable to tell what was happening. It looked like the two of them were talking, and after a few moments Renjun sat right down across from Donghyuck, a friendly smile on his delicate features.

"Huh, didn't take Renjun for the overly welcoming type." Jaemin inquired, sitting back down. "Renjun's nice." Jeno responded. "He just sticks with his circle, you know? It's no different from us."

"Well, now you don't have to worry about poor loner boy now that he has a buddy; better find a new excuse to go talk to him Markie." Jaemin said with a teasing wink.

Mark rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right."

Maybe it was his internal hero mode switching on, wanting to help someone without them asking just because he felt it was his responsibility. Donghyuck wasn't his responsibility though, he was just a kid on his first day of school, and Mark should just leave him like that.

Or, maybe it had a bit to do with the fact that he was quite cute. Okay, more than likely a lot of it had to do with the fact that he was in fact, _cute_. But that was it. His guilt for not approaching the boy earlier was now gone, hopefully it now meant Donghyuck could feel more comfortable at school.

"So," Mark said. "Where do you guys wanna get pizza from?"

* * *

Yukhei sat at the table that was right near the middle of the lunchroom along with four other of his friends, two of which he recognized. Xiao Dejun, often referred to as Xiaojun by friends and the media, is the son of a famous fashion designer as well as the face of the brand itself, Donghyuck not knowing nor caring for the name. He's famous for many of the ads and commercials he's done for the company and had ultimately skyrocketed its popularity amongst the youth for his looks.

Wong Kunhang, mostly gone by the name Hendery, is the son of a ceo of a tech company that has recently started to take off over the years. They specialize in softwares, and Hendery is well known in the media for being a talented coder because of it.

The rest were kids that came from equally prestigious and expensive backgrounds, none of which had any importance to Donghyuck. He picked at his food with his plastic spork, not having much of an appetite for the lukewarm soup the lunch ladies had provided. He contemplated maybe walking over and 'accidentally' spilling the soup onto Yukhei to finally get the ball rolling in his direction, but went against the idea when he realized that perhaps it wouldn't be worth it if the conflict would ultimately lead to nowhere.

He needed an actual plan to get into his circle, and with the straightest bit of luck, an opportunity arose. The sound of footsteps in his direction caught his attention before anything else before looking up. The boy in front of him was familiar, the name finding its way to the forefront of his mind immediately. Huang Renjun, son of the joint business partner of Yukhei's father. The two major biotech companies that competed against each other for so long came together and formed what was now the biggest and most powerful conglomerate in Asia. His face was smaller than it showed in pictures, and so was his very height despite Donghyuck always assuming him to be a bit taller.

"Lee Donghyuck, is it?" He asked.

Donghyuck didn't reply at first, weighing his possible options before shrugging. "That's right."

The boy smiled. "Cool. I'm sitting with you today."

The comment took Donghyuck slightly aback, but he made sure not to show it on his face as he cocked his eyebrow. "Oh, are you treating me like a charity case then? Is this your way of trying to buddy up with the new kid to see if he's good enough to hang out with your group?"

Donghyuck's words had an edge to it, but Renjun's smile didn't waver, in fact he seemed almost quite amused. "Yeah, I'm not exactly a fan of fake pleasantries so you don't have to worry about that. I just thought it'd be beneficial for the both of us if I came here."

"And why is that?" Donghyuck asked.

"We're gonna be lab partners for the rest of first period, so we might as well."

Donghyuck frowned. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure I was the only one at my table first period."

"Came in late." Renjun said simply. "I only just arrived during fourth period. Family business stuff, you know?"

Family business. Of course, by family business he means whatever is being done over at the Biotech labs. Any important information that goes on within the company, Renjun would know a handful of it. Still, he wasn't Wong Yukhei, and Wong Yukhei was the key to getting exactly what they needed. Renjun wouldn't be able to lead him where he needs to go.

However...

He momentarily glances at the table at the center, towards Wong Yukhei and his friends and lets the pieces fall together. While they weren't the closest of friends from what it seemed, Renjun and Yukhei knew each other in a way that was deeply rooted in their mutual businesses and life. Their family were friends, they saw each other often, parties, dinners, business meetings, they were inevitably tied together. If Donghyuck could tie himself to Renjun, that would only mean a guaranteed chance to establish himself close enough to Yukhei.

And unbeknownst to him, he had just given Donghyuck the opportunity on a silver platter.

"You should sit down then." Donghyuck said nonchalantly. "Unless you're planning on standing the whole lunch period."

Renjun smiled, allowing himself to sit on the side across from Donghyuck. He could feel the stares from the students around him before he could hear their murmurs. In the corner of his eye he can see three familiar boys looking at him with one of them staring rather intently. If he could cause a stir within the social circles, perhaps it'll only improve his chances in getting into Yukhei's own circle of friends.

Still, he wasn't foolish. He knew better than to assume that Huang Renjun's motives were out of pure kindness.

"You seem to be pretty popular here, I wouldn't know why you'd be so keen on being close to me."

Renjun cocked his eyebrow, though his expression never faltered. "Oh? You seem to know me quite well already."

"Not at all." Donghyuck said with a smile. "I'm just curious as to what you see in me is all. Or maybe more accurately, what it is you want to gain from being close to me?"

Renjun's expression remained amused, laughing at Donghyuck's words as if they were a friendly comment rather than a flat out accusation. "You're pretty perceptive, you know that?"

Renjun leaned close to the table, his elbows resting against it. "I'll get to the point then; I've seen you staring at Yukhei."

It was Donghyuck's turn to quirk his brow. So, Renjun had been observing him. Whatever conclusion he'd come up with on Donghyuck would determine Donghyuck's stance with the boy for the rest of year, and whether or not he'd be a threat to his mission. This however was a long shot, he knew that much.

"And?" Donghyuck said, crossing his arms. "What's your conclusion on that?"

Renjun smiled. "Other than the fact that you clearly have gotten yourself a crush on the guy?"

Donghyuck mentally chuckled. Of course to anyone else, him eyeing up Yukhei the entire period would only be seen as him pining after the perfect rich boy of the school that everyone loved. He had expected that sort of childish thoughts from his peers, but he had never expected someone to approach him on the first day after noticing it so briefly in a single period. Renjun had clearly been observing him a bit older.

"And I suppose you're going to blackmail and humiliate me in front of the entire school with that very information if I don't do whatever you say?"

Renjun scrunched his nose before laughing. "God no. Who does that anymore? Believe me when I say I'm not that _shallow_. I'm only here to offer a sort of...mutual benefit I guess you could say."

Donghyuck said nothing, allowing the boy to continue.

"I'm close to Yukhei as you probably already know. Practically grew up with him by the hip for the past twelve years. As my friend I can get you into a lot of the events and parties we end up getting dragged into so you're in the same circle as us. Although I can't guarantee anything will happen between you two, I'm offering you an opportunity to get close enough and stake your claim. Plus, you get to tag along with me on trips, which usually coincide with Yukhei and his family."

Renjun leans back slightly. "How's that?"

It was perfect really. Renjun had basically eliminated most of the difficulties of establishing a connection by becoming the very connection he needed. It made his job hundreds of times easier, the stress of the rest of the year lightening up on his shoulders.

"What's the catch then? What's in it for you?"

Renjun shrugged. "Simple. Just be my friend."

Still, his conditions were strange.

"I'm sure you have your own friend group, why are you so interested in trading them in for me?" Donghyuck was genuinely curious, though not so much on the details and rather on how the boy thought.

Renjun's eyes were now focused on his nails, picking at them as he gave an answer. "Just need a bit of space is all. They're not gonna be totally lost without me, and some new company could do me some good."

He averted his attention back on Donghyuck, his casual smile still evident on his face. "So, is this a deal?" He outstretched his hand. Donghyuck pondered for a moment. His request was simple enough, all he had to worry about now was to evading any suspicion with Renjun now in close proximity with him. This connection meant being even more careful in the future.

Donghyuck smiled, taking the boy's hand. "Let's be good friends then, Huang Renjun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> askdkfigkg I don’t know how to feel about this story so far. It’s a lot of fun to write but depending on how the next chapter is received I might keep going. Thanks for all your support so far!!


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